The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1887-08-27
Correspondence Battimoye County Union.
LETTER FROM PITTSFIELD, MASS.
From Nantucket to Pittsf1eld-A Delight
full Trip to uckernuck-Making
Coffee Under Difficulties
Fishing, SC,
prrrsFrELp, Mass, August goth, 1887.

PITTsFIELD, Mass August 20th, 1887.
Messrs Longnecker Bros. Our party arrived
safely in Nantucket on the 9th inst, and we re-
NAMED there until Wednesday, l7th when we left
about a. m, reached Boston between and p;
M. left Boston the same day on the Boston and
Alhanv Railroad at 3 o. M. >, and arrived here
about S15 0. M, the distance being about loo
miles, and the ascent from Boston being little
- aaa &C.,
The Rev. Mr.. Sweet, who rector of the Epis-
copal Church in Nantucket last year, has left that
charge and is now recently was in charge of
church in Salisbury, in the diocese of Easton. His
successor at Nantucket is the Rev. Mr.. Little, who
seems to be very popular.
Mr.. J. S. Doyle, who carried on the Ocean House
and also the Nantucket Hotel died few weeks
ago, and Mr.. Mowry, the proprietor of the Spring
field House, died some time since of pneumonia.
His son now carries on the hotel, which as usual
is crowded with guests. The Sea Cliff Hotel, built
since my last visit on the cliffs not far distant
from the residence of the late Charles O'Connor,
is also we'll filled and has not been able to accom-
modate all who applied there for rooms.
Parties who have gone out blue fishing have
been successful in many cases thirty forty blue
fish or even larger number being taken at times.
SSsOur party visited Tuckernuck on the yacht
Metamora, commanded by Capt Burgess, by the
invitation of warm personal friend who lives in
Baltimore. Two ladies besides my wife and
daughters went on the excursion, which was
most enjoyable one, "dies notandd calce," as the
old Romans used to say, which being translated
means "a day to be marked chalk" Long will
some of us remember the 18th of August, 1887, as
day when we had very pleasant time. have
always wished to visit Tuckernuck, which is dis
tant about miles from the town of Nantucket,
but never succeeded in doing so until this auspi-
cious day. We could not have had better day
if it had been made to our order, the wind s and
muck is about three miles long and from one to
LnIf .l., IL
Der of houses, some of which are quite good ones.
A hotel built here some time ago but it is not
kept open now from lack of patronage 1 suppose.
The island seems to be more fertile than Nan
tucket, and upon it saw many low bushes loaded
with a small green fruit which 1 subsequently
learned were beech pums. They said to be
very nice when ripe, but was told that persons
are so anxious to get them that they pull them
before they are ripe and put them in vessels to
ripen, and gathered and ripened in this way they
do not have the nice flavor that they possess when
permitted to ripen on the bushes in the sunlight.
When got on shore my Baltimore friend and
| made an'excursion towards the interior of the
island leaving the ladies to wander about their
own sweet will and fancy inclined them, and while
they thus walked about my better half captured
part of the vertebr@ of whale which she took
herself to the seashore distance of some 20 30
yards whence 1t was put on the dory, by which
got from the yacht to the shore, and carried to
the yacht and thus conveyed to Nantucket.
found on the shore the sword of a sword fish which
picked up and subsequently we had them boxed
up and sent by express to TOwsontown When
our party were all safe upon the yacht again our
host by very simple but ingenious arrangement
heated water to the boiling point and one of the
ladies made some excellent coffee of which all par
took, believe except myself. He safely made
the fire on the yacht in this way: He had pro-
vided himself with the half of key which he had
filled with sand while on Tuckernuck -
In this he made his fire and heated the water in
a kettle which he hung upon two pieces of board
or shingc, one of which was stuck on each side of
the key.
After we had partaken of a most excellent din
ner, provided by genial host and his lady
friends, and after the captain of the yacht and his
son had also satisfied their hunger, we weighed
anchor and sailed towards the island of Nantucket.
AT suitable place Capt. Burgess hauled to and
we began to fish for soup. or scuppang, the full
name of the fish is, and 1 think, Messrs. Editors
you would have been amused as I was to see the
excitement of some of the ladies when they caught
a fish 1 was the least successful of any as only
caught two fish. One and perhaps more of the
ladies caught fifteen and our party caught sixty
three fish in all exclusive of one Peter Grunter,
which was thrown away, it is not fit to eat
The soup, porge as it is called in different To-
calities, is beautiful fish, weighing about half
pound and upwards to perhaps pound 1t has |
beautiful silver colored scales, elegantly tinted
with pink, and it is considered excellent eating by
many persons.
"The shades of eve began to fall
The stars began to blink"
ere we arrived at the town of Nantucket. rwish, |
Messrs. Editors, l could give you more vivid |
description of that sail and of the incidents of that
day, but must leave it to your Imagination and
to those of your readers to supply all deficiencies
Most certainly we had charming day.
On Sunday last We went to the Episcopal Church
in this place, hoping to hear the rector, Rev. Wm
Wherefore Newton, preach, but we were disap-
pointed, as he did not do so. Mr.. Newton is a
brother of the Rev. Heber Newton, of New York
city, but he does not hold his fathers peculiar
views about the Bible. Mr.. Newton is very much
beloved not only by his own pensioners, but also
by the ministers and congregations of other re-
ligious denominations in this place. He is the
author of quite number of works and is consid-
cred an excellent preacher. 1 regret that will
not have an opportunity of hearing him preach as
we do not expect to be here next Sunday.
More anon, VIATOR.